Autumn Debassige is a mezzo-soprano of First Nations heritage based in southern Ontario.
Born in Sudbury, raised in Orillia, Autumn Debassige is a mezzo-soprano of First Nations heritage based in southern Ontario.
A versatile freelance soloist, Autumn has been featured by 4th Wall Music, Guelph Chamber Choir, The Cellar Singers, Spiritus Ensemble and by the Elora Festival in the inaugural roster of their Summer Vocal Program in Ensemble and Solo Singing. She has appeared on stage at Niagara’s former Oh Canada Eh Dinner Theatre in their Broadway Showstoppers production and performed in Windsor Symphony Orchestra’s Wild,Wild West and Fiddlin’ Around concerts. In March 2023, Autumn made her operatic debut as Conversa II in Puccini’s Suor Angelica with Grand River Opera, though most recently she has been alto soloist for the premiere of Justin Lapierre’s Stabat Mater, under the direction of Ben Wallace, and for Symphony in the Barn’s signature Messiah Amongst the Cows.
Autumn is an active recitalist with a ‘rich and expressive’ voice, whose performances have been described as ‘lovely and stylish…wonderful, varied and consistently engaging.’ In the past year she has sung in concert series at Symphony in the Barn (Hanover), St. Andrew’s (Kitchener), First United Church (Waterloo), St. Paul’s Cathedral (London), St. James’ (Orillia), Yorkminster Park (Toronto), St. John’s (Kitchener), and St. James Cathedral (Toronto).
Photo by Gaetz Photography (2023)
Solo work aside, Autumn is an alto in the professional Parish Choir, under the direction of Dr. Patrick Murray, at St. John’s Anglican Church in Elora, ON. Autumn is a graduate of Wilfrid Laurier University’s Faculty of Music (BMus, Hons. Theory 2016) where she studied voice with Leslie Fagan and piano with Dr. Joe Ferretti. She also holds an Advanced Diploma in Music Theatre Performance from St. Clair College (2019).
A proud alumna of The Ontario Youth Choir (2017) and the award-winning Maureen Forrester Singers, formerly out of WLU, Autumn currently studies voice with Dr. Elizabeth Lepock.
“How refreshing it has been for me to work with a vocalist with such a stunningly beautiful and well trained voice, and one with such class! Autumn masterfully handles difficult musical scores while making it look effortless!”
“Autumn has voice and technique in spades...her interpretation: wow. Everything so well prepared and thought out, but went so far beyond that. Clearly a fiery quality in Refiner’s Fire, a fantastic dance in O Thou That Tellest, and a truly broken heart in He Was Despised, which I’ve only ever seen once, many years ago. To say that she sings from the heart is an understatement. The spiritual connection that Autumn has with the music is something that’s very rare - a true gift from God.”